Modern archery has evolved to the point where shooting accuracy approaching that attainable with firearms is possible, especially at short to medium ranges. It is, for example, common for a proficient shooter to consistently place arrows in a three-inch grouping at a range of sixty yards. That such shooting accuracy and consistency is now possible is a testimonial not only to the relatively high degree of skill possessed by many of those seriously interested in the sport of archery, but particularly to the sophistication of archery equipment that has been developed over the years.
In this regard, for example, development of the compound bow now enables shooters to maintain a bow in a fully drawn position with but little expenditure of energy. This ability minimizes muscle strain tremor and permits the shooter's attention to be concentrated exclusively on aiming of the bow, with no fatigue-induced distractions.
In addition, improved sighting devices of various types now available to archery enthusiasts allow vastly improved aiming of the bow with a concomitant influence on shooting accuracy.
Other aids to the sport include arrow rest devices fastened to bow handles which provide support for arrows placed thereon, and which serve to dampen the influence of forces imposed on the arrows by the bow string during the process of arrow launching. Such rests commonly consist of support arms of various shape, positioned generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of arrows placed thereon. Some such rests are spring-loaded in order to provide a restorative force which restrains arrow deflection during the launch. In this regard, at the moment of release of an arrow, the force imposed by the bow string tends to bend the arrow, causing it to bow along both its longitudinal, horizontal and vertical axes. In co-pending application Ser. No. 524,219, filed May 4, 1990, for example, an arrow rest is described which, among other things, permits the adjustment of a vertical restorative force to match the type of arrow being employed, thereby optimizing shooting results over a range of conditions.
In addition to the preceding, a spring-loaded device, referred to as a "cushion plunger" is frequently disposed against one side of an arrow positioned on a rest, thereby furnishing a lateral biasing force that promotes stability of the arrow in the horizontal plane. In this regard, the cushion plunger dampens the arrow's tendency to bend in the horizontal direction as a result of the bow string-imposed forces referred to.
While the arrow rest and cushion plunger devices described exert a salutary effect on shooting accuracy, and are widely used as a consequence, in some respects they tend to be difficult to modify to accommodate changing shooting conditions. With respect to this need, external, uncontrollable influences such as, for instance, temperature and humidity changes, often have an affect on archery equipment. While the changes are not dramatic in terms of magnitude, they can have a quite serious affect on shooting results. In addition, a shooter's physical and mental condition are not immune from day-to-day changes which produce variations in shooting form. Both such affects require compensation of one type or another if shooting accuracy is to be consistently maintained.
Although a variety of methods for compensating for the variables described are available to shooters, some of these require aiming adjustments of a type that are dependent upon physical adaptations, for example, changes in shooting stance. It will be readily appreciated that such changes are difficult to consistently reproduce. Other compensations involve equipment adjustments of a type forbidden in tournament matches, for example, adjustment of a bow's sighting apparatus.